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Post-Doc Opportunity in Evolutionary Genomics

The School of Archaeology, South Parks Road, Oxford
Grade 7: Salary in the range £32,236 - £38,460 p.a.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant position as part of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant entitled: “The Consequences of Gene Flow between Wild and Domestic Populations during Livestock Evolution”. By directly characterising the genetic variation in wild and domestic pigs over the past 10,000 years, this project will reveal not only the genomic basis for domestication, but also how domestic pigs adapt to novel environments as they were introduced to regions outside of the areas where they were initially domesticated.

This project will assess the DNA preservation of more than 1,000 ancient pigs and wild boar from Eastern and Western Eurasia over the past 10,000 years, and then sequence the entire genomes of the best-preserved specimens. Armed with this data, we will establish the spatial and temporal differences in the proportion, and genomic location of the incorporation of wild boar genes into domestic stocks. The results will allow not only an unprecedented understanding of the origins of domestic animals, they will also have important ramifications for the conservation of endangered wild boar populations and for pig breeders and pork consumers for whom the authenticity of domestic and wild meat is crucial.

The successful candidate will be based in Oxford at the Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network (Palaeo-BARN) and will join a multi-disciplinary team of archaeologist and geneticists under the supervision of Professor Greger Larson. Working alongside Professor Keith Dobney (Liverpool), Dr Laurent Frantz (Queen Mary), and a PDRA specialising in bioinformatics, the successful candidate will take a leading role in the sampling strategy and will also be expected to use their initiative and creativity to identify areas for research development and extend their research portfolio.

The post is a full-time appointment for a fixed-term of 3 years.

Applicants must have a PhD in evolutionary genetics, animal genomics, population genomics, or related discipline. A demonstrated track record of wet lab experience and publications is desirable, as is experience working with ancient or degraded DNA.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 26 October 2018.